A tropical storm moving through the Philippines on Wednesday has killed 27 people and left more than 60 injured or missing, according to a government disaster response agency.
Hours after Tropical Storm Juaning made landfall along northern Aurora province, the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council began rescuing stranded people and searching for fishermen swept away by powerful waves.
The slow-moving storm continues to drag through northern parts of the island nation at about 10 mph (16 kph). It is expected to cross into parts of the Northern Luzon island Wednesday night, the agency said.
Though winds have decreased slightly, the agency warned against gusts of up to 60 mph. The government has been tracking the storm since it intensified from a depression Monday.
Several barangays, or villages, have been flooded, and rescue efforts are under way to find missing people, the agency said.
Government officials held an emergency meeting Wednesday to assess and coordinate their response to the storm damage.
Officials cautioned residents in low-lying areas and mountainous regions about flash floods and landslides, while coastal regions have been warned about storm surges and deadly waves.
The storm is expected to continue to bring widespread rain throughout the Luzon island until the end of the week, the agency said.
Tropical storm Emily is gaining strength and is expected to approach Hispaniola tonight and Wednesday.REUTERSA man rides a bicycle through floodwater after heavy rain in Manila on July 26, 2011.REUTERSFallen tree branches block a road after a mini tornado brought by tropical storm in Manila , July 27, 2011 after officials of the Department of Education postponed classes in the capital due to continuous rainfall brought by Typhoon Nock-Ten, locally known as Juaning. Tropical storm Nock-Ten slammed into the eastern mountain areas of the Philippine main island of Luzon on Wednesday, killing 20 people but sparing the country major rice producing provinces, a disaster and weather official said.REUTERSBoys run through floodwaters along a main street in Navotas city, north of Manila, July 27, 2011 after officials of the Department of Education postponed classes in the capital due to continuous rainfall brought by Typhoon Nock-Ten, locally known as Juaning. Tropical storm Nock-Ten slammed into the eastern mountain areas of the Philippine main island of Luzon on Wednesday, killing 20 people but sparing the country major rice producing provinces, a disaster and weather official said.REUTERSWeather specialist Raymond Ordinario of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), gives an update on the progress of Typhoon Juaning (or Tropical Storm Nock-Ten) during a news conference at their headquarters in Quezon City, Metro Manila July 27, 2011. Ten people died and five fishermen were missing in central Philippines as the typhoon battered the main island of Luzon, suspending schools and grounding domestic flights and ferries, local officials said on Tuesday.REUTERS
